Artur Żmijewski's 7th Berlin Biennial: A Non-Exhibition of Political Art

The 7th Berlin Biennial, curated by Artur Żmijewski with Joanna Warsza and Vojna, transformed KW Institute for Contemporary Art into an incubator for political action rather than a conventional exhibition. Critics attacked the open call, the inclusion of Occupy Movement and Indignados, and Żmijewski's alleged molding of artists' works to reflect his own practice. The biennial featured projects like Renzo Martens's 'A Gentrification Program', Mirosław Patecki's Styrofoam Jesus statue, and Antanas Mockus's blood pledge station. Yael Bartana's Jewish Renaissance Movement in Poland held its First International Congress at Hebbel am Ufer theatre. The publication 'Forget Fear' documented political art actions. Despite controversy, the biennial aimed to reanimate stagnant political processes, though it abandoned humor as a tool.